The Dark Water Calls
by T-phon
Summary: Tahno needs to seduce Korra and manipulate her into visiting the Swamp, where someone waits with far more sinister objectives. Unexpectedly, Tahno finds himself growing more attached to the Avatar than originally intended. Tahnorra. Fic discontinued.
1. Chapter 1

Premise: Tahno, owing his Foggy Swamp cousin a favor, agrees to seduce and kidnap Korra the Avatar. Little does he suspect that his heart might prevent him from handing Korra over, which would result in an undesired encounter with an old enemy.

(aka, Tphon wanted to have a go at fluff with a plot)

Rated M for language, sexual content, and Tahno's bad sex jokes

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The damp air of the Swamp clung to a young man's hair as he floated on its brackish waters. It was remarkable just how out of his element Tahno felt whilst surrounded by it. He could feel the push and pull of the water that surrounded him; water coursed through the vines, hanging from the trees that drew much of their life from the dark waters that their great trunks emerged from, their meeting with the earth submerged beneath the languid waves. In any other environment, Tahno would have rejoiced in the tugging sensation of water passing beneath his feet. He slicked a heavy strand of hair back, cursing the environment that had been the first to greet him upon his birth. He had done everything in his power to leave Foggy Swamp five years before; he was less than enthusiastic to return.

Tahno breathed in the moist scent of the Swamp, exhaling as he propelled his one-man skiff forward. It smelled earthy, wet, and alive – just as nature should smell. He hated it. A bead of sweat trickled from the back of his neck down to the center of his back, offering only minimal relief to the suffocating warmth of the atmosphere. The only benefit his person could receive from his presence here was the steamy cleansing of his pores. This was, of course, countered by the giant welts he could see forming on his arms from the mosquito-gnats he could hear swarming around him. His mother had taught him how to make a salve to treat the poisonous bites that they gave, but that required materials from the Swamp that Tahno had no interest in taking the time to gather. Perhaps Eri would have something to help him.

It had been a surprise to receive Eri's message in the post, to say the least. Tahno had known the origin of the message the moment he unfolded the stiff paper and had inhaled the moldy smell that all parchment kept in the Swamp seemed to contain. He had always known that Eri would send for him sooner or later; he had merely been so engrossed in his own booming existence in Republic City that he had pushed his cousin far from his mind, eventually forgetting about their deal as the city life swept him away. The message had given no details as to Eri's intent in having him visit, offering no insight other than the clear demand that he be present at her cottage in the Swamp before the end of the current moon cycle. Tahno grimaced as he pushed the swamp water back. He supposed that the time had arisen to pay the pipa player.

The former pro-bending champion couldn't help but tense up when his destination became visible through the fog. Eri's stilted hut was a decent distance from the other residents of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, and everyone preferred it that way. Eri was the most accomplished waterbender Tahno knew, taking after his aunt before her. The Tribe, an assorted lot of souls who were typically warm and receiving toward all, took a twisted fascination in whispering about mysterious deeds of the reclusive "waterwitch," whose bending practices they openly cast a disdainful eye on – whilst rarely hesitating to seek her assistance in dire instances. Eri's bending was resourceful, making use of water in ways that most could not begin to fathom; she was inventive, yes, but Tahno recognized that it was hardly witchcraft. Tahno maneuvered the skiff up to his cousin's dock, gliding it next to a weathered post. He pulled a cut vine from the bottom of his vessel and tied the skiff to the post. The thin, wooden boards of the dock creaked under Tahno's feet when he hoisted himself out of the skiff.

Despite it being midday, the Swamp was eerily dark in this area. Through the heat, Tahno shivered. The only visible light source came from the crack beneath the door to his cousin's home and center of business. Hesitating for only a moment, he carefully stepped closer to the structure. His attention was so focused on testing the support of each board of the dock before he stepped down that he almost didn't catch the door swinging open in front of him. A pale, tall figure stepped into the light and beckoned him closer with the long, thin fingers of her hand. Tahno hastily approached her to greet her, keeping his weight on his toes.

"You look well, cousin." Her voice was detached, as if the spirits had borrowed it for a time and had failed to return it in whole, keeping a bit of it in their own world. Eri reached her arms out to embrace Tahno.

"I know you're lying, but thanks." The young man returned his cousin's gesture of affection, albeit stiffly.

"Come in." Eri released Tahno and turned her back on him, her pitch black hair swinging around her waist. "We have much to discuss."

"Great. I'm thrilled." Tahno followed her inside, jumping when the door swung shut behind them.

Eri chuckled at him. "You seem to forget that everything in this swamp is saturated with water. It's all very easy to manipulate." Her white irises bearing into Tahno's icy blue eyes sent a shiver down his spine. The young woman opened a cupboard and removed two small cups. "Tea?"

"Sure?" Related or not, Tahno wasn't entirely keen on accepting food and drink from Eri.

She rolled her eyes. "It's just tea." She handed a cup to Tahno before gesturing toward a round, wooden threadbare table in the corner of the room. Tahno sat, as she indicated, in a chair that seemed to be woven of dried vines. Of course, nothing in the swamp was ever truly dry. Suddenly cold, he reached his hands out in the direction of the nearby fire that crackled in the hearth. He looked around. The room was sparse; there were chairs to sit upon and cupboards for storage, but no decorations stood out in this space. Another long table was pushed into the corner at the opposite end of the room, a sheet concealing the identities of the lumpy forms on it. A long counter stretched across one wall, clean at the moment. Tahno knew his cousin's living quarters to be behind the curtain that covered the doorframe directly opposite the door that served as the entrance to the cottage.

Eri removed a kettle from it's hook above the fire and returned to Tahno, filling both of their cups with steaming Swamp tea. It wasn't Tahno's beverage of choice, but he could stomach it better than most of the other Foggy Swamp concoctions. "Thanks."

"Thank you, for coming so quickly."

"You're one of the few who can make me do so," Tahno winked at her, trying to lighten the tense mood that he found had settled between them. Eri blinked back at him with a stoic face. Tahno rolled his eyes. His humor was lost on her.

"You're wondering why I called you out here."

"For tea, right?" Tahno caught the ghost of a smile as his cousin shook her head. At least she still understood his sarcasm.

"I helped you, once. It's time for you to help me back, as agreed upon." Eri lifted her tea to her lips and Tahno did the same. He grimaced at the bitter, musky taste.

"I figured as much." He set the cup down. "What do you need?"

Eri leaned forward and reached toward Tahno's face. He winced back a bit, finally relenting to letting her push back his troublesome, damp hair. "I've heard so much about the famous Captain of the Wolfbats, Tahno. No source ever fails to mention your legendary hair."

"The swamp killed it. I hummed a dirge for it on my way here."

Eri sat back. "I heard that it died when your bending died. I heard that you lost close to everything when the bloodbender Amon stripped your bending away from you in a very public, humiliating manner. Really, Tahno – to be exposed as a cheater." Her tone was that of a mocked disapproval.

Tahno grit his teeth as his cousin smirked across the table at him. "Haven't you heard? I'm considered to be reformed. I've helped rebuild Republic City; I've helped the Probending League get back on it's feet again. I'm a changed man who has shown eagerness to reestablish himself without cheating or stepping on others. Hell, some people are even referring to me as a sort of martyr for what Amon did to me and how I eventually pulled through," he ranted to the woman across from him, hoping that the sound of his own voice would drown out the revived memories of the weeks he spent without a connection to his element.

Eri raised a smug eyebrow at him. "I've heard this. I've also heard that most believe that you started off honest, to be gradually corrupted by greed and fame. They reason that if you were a skilled enough waterbender to have been discovered all those years ago, there must be some great amount of waterbending talent in you that doesn't need cheating to succeed. Isn't it always easier to give a second chance to a person who was once honest, than to try to trust someone who has never told a single truth? You, Tahno, have never been honest."

Tahno glared at her. She was right, of course, but not entirely. He was earnestly trying to regain some of his former glory through doing the "right" thing. He had completely sworn off cheating – he knew that he wouldn't be able to get away with it even if he tried. But no one knew that his "great discovery" had been a result of cheating, as well.

"I do have a great amount of waterbending talent. Other than you and the Uh-vatar, I'm still the best I know. I just haven't always been that way." Tahno crossed his arms over his chest.

"You received the best training that Republic City had to offer only after you cheated the system. But you and I are the only ones who know that. We're the only ones who know that I was the one bending in your place when the talent scouts and sponsors came to Foggy Swamp. You were all too willing to play the role of puppet."

"I probably would have still been recognized and selected without you."

"But you came to me."

"I had to get out of Foggy Swamp. I had to be sure."

"And now everyone knows your name, for better or for worse."

"What do you want, Eri?" Tahno snapped.

Eri refilled her cup. "I want you to be dishonest again. It's what you do best, after all."

"Excuse me?"

"Rumor has it that you tried everything to get your bending back when Amon took it from you."

"It was my identity. I needed it to pay the bills." Tahno took another sip of his bitter tea. The second sip was no better than the first.

"You tried everything... but I find it curious that you never came to me." Eri rested her elbows on the table and tented her fingers.

"Trying everything to get my bending back conflicted with my oath to do anything to stay away from the Swamp. And you're not exactly someone with whom I'd be eager to have multiple debts with."

"But then the Avatar returned your bending to you." Eri's intense gaze made Tahno squirm a bit in his chair. He felt as if he was being interrogated. Hell, he was more comfortable talking to Chief Beifong than he was talking to this woman.

"That is correct."

"Tell me about the relationship you have with the Avatar."

Tahno did his best to hide his surprise. Eri wasn't one to be concerned with personal relationships between people... unless it meant that there was a hidden benefit for her. "The Uhvatar? She's okay, I guess... kinda annoying, a little bit bratty... really full of herself. Maybe as full of herself as I am of myself. Not very civilized and pretty naive. But she did kick Amon's ass and give me my bending back, so no complaints there. I'm grateful toward her? I suppose I don't mind her."

"And how does she seem to feel about you?"

"We used to hate each other, but that kind of went away after the pity party we had for me in the police station. And she forgave enough of the past shit we had with each other to give me my bending back. She seemed to approve of my return to the probending world. So, I guess she's neutral by now?" Tahno shrugged. If Eri was trying to set him up with Korra with the idea of cousin-in-law in mind, he wasn't going for it. Not even to repay his debt to her. "She's dating a firebender."

"And it's true that you are trying out to join the Fire Ferrets as their new waterbender, under the direction of an earthbender who is close with the Avatar?"

"Yeah... the other Wolfbats split town after they lost their bending. I haven't heard from them, and have no clue where they went." He repositioned himself in the chair. "Are you going to get to the point? What do you want, and how is the Uhvatar involved?"

Eri stood up and pushed her chair back. She walked halfway across the room before turning back to look at Tahno. "I want the Avatar."

"Whoa, Eri – I didn't know you bent that way." Tahno snorted at his own joke, sobering upon seeing the glare that his cousin was directing at him.

"Each Avatar can live for hundreds of years at a time, unless his or her life is ended prematurely. She has a special connection with the spiritual world that no one but the Avatar can explore." Eri's eyes lit up with excitement for a moment. "I want to know how, why, and if I can access that power myself. Think of if I could establish a direct connection with Yue – think of the power that could come from having exclusive access to the moon spirit!"

Tahno stared at her. "You're crazy."

"Life as a human is too short to even begin to discover all the mysteries and wonders that bending has to offer. If I knew how to access the power of the Avatar, I could do anything – don't you understand?"

"I still don't see what this has to do with me."

Eri looked at him in exasperation. "You're close to her! You have connections to her! I need you to use those connections to bring her to me!"

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll go along with 'Hey, Korra, want to come to my creepy cousin's creepy swamp house with me?' Not to mention getting her away from her little 'Team Avatar.' I don't see this working, Eri."

The woman groaned. "You dolt! You are an expert at seducing women! Seduce her, deceive her, sleep with her if you have to! Join Team Avatar, perhaps? Make her trust you enough to agree to visit your family, here in the Swamp!" She was pacing across the room.

Tahno considered for a moment. Seduce the Avatar, pay his debt to Eri. Getting laid in addition to it all would be a nice bonus. Why not? "What happens if I fail? If she doesn't go for me?"

Eri spun on her heel and gave Tahno a grin that inspired enough terror for him to wet himself a little. "Then, I send my backup plan to retrieve her, and your debt is doubled."

"Well, fuck. What's your backup plan? Send her a coupon for a lovebending trick that she would have to come here to learn? I bet she'd go for it for that firebender."

Eri was no longer paying attention to him. Instead, she was pushing aside the curtain that led to the back of the cottage and calling a name which Tahno didn't quite catch. Heavy footsteps could be heard approaching from the opposite end of the cottage. Soon, a pair of feet appeared beneath the edge of the curtain. The curtain was pushed back by a male arm, but the body of the man remained in shadow. Tahno noted with mild interest that some of the man's fingers were different shades, and appeared to be broken or twisted.

"It's been a while, Wolfbat," a familiar voice crooned from the shadows.

Tahno knocked over his chair in his attempt to scramble for the door as quickly as possible. His pulled at the latch. It wouldn't budge. The door would not open, and he was once more trapped. He turned toward his cousin and the figure, sinking to his knees as the horrid paralysis that he had only encountered once before overcame him. His own voice could only rasp. "Amon."

(to be continued...)

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_~Let me know your likes, dislikes, concerns, etc.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_Heyyyyy- sorry that it's been a while! I had, you know, life._

_But now I'm back in the Tahnorra mood, and ready to give this fic another shot!_

* * *

"On your feet, Wolfbat. I am not here to harm you." Amon continued to take several steps toward Tahno before turning and walking to the seat that Tahno had previously occupied. He slowly lowered himself into it, the material creaking as he set his weight upon it.

Tahno cautiously stood, his wide eyes never leaving Amon. He pressed his back against the door to the cottage, pretending that contact with it would keep him safe. In reality, he knew that he would be too paralyzed in fear to act should Amon come after him.

"Eri?" His voice came out at a much higher pitch than intended. "What the hell is this?"

"Relax, Tahno. He's here to help." Tahno's cousin came forward to the middle of the room, facing Tahno.

"He died, Eri! How the hell is he here when he _died_?" His fingers curled against the course wood beneath his hands.

"He never died. He was only almost dead when I revived him." Eri's calm voice created in Tahno a great desire to slap her.

"I read the reports! Amon, or should I say _Noatak_, was blown up in a boat with his brother! They found _body_ _parts_!"

"Body parts, but not bodies. Tarrlok was killed, but Noatak survived. What Noatak lost in the blast could be salvaged by using parts of Tarrlok that were no longer in use."

"No longer in – spirits, Eri! You're saying that you rebuilt Amon with his brother's fingers and toes?" Tahno was glad that he had not been eating Swamp food, as he was battling a great desire to hurl.

"No toes, but I did use several fingers and an ear."

Tahno hurled.

"You're going to clean that up." Eri scowled down at the now-hunched over Tahno.

"Like _hell_ I am!"

"You're missing the point, Tahno." Eri crossed the room and sat down near the fire, the light of the flames reflecting off her pale skin in a way that made her appear other-worldly. "Noatak is all too eager to take his revenge on the Avatar, who-"

"She ruined _everything_," Amon interjected. "Years of planning and hard work! My very existence was torn to shreds by her! The entire Equalist cause was lost when the Avatar made my followers believe that my goal was a lie!"

"Oh, and that's wrong? A man who claims to be against all bending while using not just bending, but _blood-bending_, to overcome his opponents isn't just a tad hypocritical?" Tahno's anger bubbled up inside him as he stared at the man that had publicly disgraced him.

"I believed in my cause! Blood-bending was a necessary evil to see it through!" Amon rose in his chair a bit, wincing a bit at his sudden movement. Tahno almost smirked at the man's disrepair.

"Yeah, that went real well for you, didn't it?"

"It temporarily removed bullies like you from the streets of Republic City. If I were you, I'd watch your tongue with me. I wouldn't mind the opportunity to take your bending again!"

Eri sipped her tea.

"Oh, I'm the bully? Yeah, sure I might have cheated a bit. I might have verbally put down my opponents outside the arena, and beat them up a little in the game. I might have been an asshole. But me, the bully? Do you have any fucking idea what you did to me? Of course you do, or you wouldn't have done it – you stripped my bending from me, and then you threw me in the fucking water! Do you know what it feels like to be completely submerged in an element that only moments before you had had complete control over? To sink and realized that what you previously did to get out is no longer working, and you are helpless in your momentarily inability to do nothing? You fucking don't! When Korra threw you into the water, you bent your fucking ass out of there! Bully doesn't even begin to cover it!" Tahno was close to seething; this man brought back all the memories that he had been trying so hard to push away as past. His presence reminded Tahno of all the words that Tahno had wished to say to the Equalist leader during the war, but had never found the opportunity or backbone to say.

"And you learned your lesson. You no longer terrorize anyone with your bending anymore, do you?" Amon's eyes narrowed.

Tahno laughed. "Me? Terrorize? You went and kidnapped a group of fucking children, tied them up, and presented them on a stage to a crowd of hate-filled onlookers! What sort of asshole exposes kids like that? The only lesson there was in the fact that you're a psychopathic and heartless bastard!" He was shouting, and he didn't care. He had lost all his composure in the presence of this man; he hadn't even been this irate when the Avatar knocked his helmet off in the Tournament.

Amon continued to glare at Tahno. "It had to be done."

"Like hell-"

"Tahno, shut up." Eri put her tea down and stood up again.

"Excuse me?"

"Shut up, you are missing the point of why you are here."

"I understood the point perfectly until you dragged this reanimated corpse out-"

"He was _never_ dead." Eri's voice had turned steely. "He is here to be a back-up plan in the case that you fail to bring me the Avatar. If necessary, I can send him to you in Republic City to help retrieve the Avatar, but it was my belief that you would wish to avoid that."

"Is that really the only reason he's here? You sure you aren't just looking for a plaything, with all the other Swamp boys not willing to touch you with a extra-long catgator?"

"Tahno!" Eri's brow was furrowed; Tahno had successfully pissed her off. As a child, he had constantly tried to irritate her enough for her perpetually stoic expression to change. Now that he had succeeded, he found himself questioning the intelligence of his childhood game.

"Right. Seduce Avatar. Bring her to you. Got it." His fingers clutched at the latch on the door. No thanks to him, the cold environment of the cottage had turned to ice. He was eager to get out and back to civilization, preferably sooner rather than later.

"Go."

"Right. Leaving. Eri, it was nice seeing you. Amon, go choke on a possum-chicken." Firmly grasping the latch on the door, Tahno swung it open and bolted out. He climbed into his skiff and cut the rope connecting it to the post with a shard of ice he formed, which quickly melted. With a large wave of his arms, he was speeding through the swamp.

"I fucking hate visiting family."

* * *

Two days and several boat-rides later, Tahno shut and bolted the door to his apartment in Republic City. Leaning his back against its smooth surface, he relished the cool air. His first goal was a shower to scrape off the grime of the Swamp that still lingered on his skin. He never had gotten a salve for the bites from the mosquito-gnats. He sighed as he stripped off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He'd probably throw it away; it was forever stained with Swamp. He kicked off his shoes and relished the coolness of the wooden floor against his tired feet. A shower would be just the thing.

There was a knock at the door.

Tahno groaned as he wiped his face with his hands. For fucks sake! He wrenched open the door. "What is it?" He spat. He looked down.

A confused Avatar Korra looked up at him, well on her way to becoming a pissed Avatar Korra. Then she laughed.

"What is spirit's name happened to you? You look worse than you did when you lost your bending!" She grinned at his disheveled state.

"Family reunion in the Swamp. It was delightful, can't you tell?" Tahno relaxed against the doorframe. He wasn't exactly in the best shape for seduction, but he had made her laugh. He had forgotten to mention to Eri that Korra wasn't as easily seduced as most of the girls who flocked around him. It was probably for the better.

"You're from the Swamp?" Korra raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest, smirking.

"Yeah, tell all your friends." Tahno looked her up and down, surveying the girl whom his cousin wanted Tahno to fool into trusting him. Her breasts were a decent size, standing out against her small waist and complimenting her curved ass. Her skin was rich and smooth, her arms muscular but not bulky, and her legs were far too covered by her water tribe garb. Her face was... well, she was no Asami Sato, but Tahno couldn't deny the natural beauty that was contained in her visage. As for her demeanor, he would not be surprised if she were an absolute spitfire in bed. The only problem was how to get her there...

"What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Tahno blinked, moving his gaze from her rear to her face.

"You were staring at me like a piece of meat." Korra placed her hands on her hips and scowled.

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I hope that you're not getting any ideas about-"

"Look, Uhvatar, I just got in and I really need to shower and eat something. Why are you here?" He closed his eyes for a moment. And sleep. He really needed to sleep.

Korra sighed. "Bolin sent me to tell you that tryouts have been pushed back a week; the arena still isn't quite ready."

"Why did he send _you_?"

"Because he's still terrified of you."

"Well, that makes my chances of making the team seam brilliant!" Tahno rolled his eyes. He wanted to get back into Pro-Bending more than he wanted to get Eri off his back.

Korra chewed her lip, looking doubtful. "You're right in that Bolin would have to be able to work with you, and vise versa, for you to be on the team. But I know that, despite your little cheating snafus, you're a pretty good waterbender."

"They weren't _little_ cheating snafus, Uhvatar."

"Whatever. Point is, you're good. Tell you what – tomorrow night, Narooks, seven o'clock. Meet us all for dinner. Maybe if Bolin got to know you a little better, and you got to know him a little better, your chances of not making the team due to Bolin being terrified of you would be diminished. What do you say?"

"Dinner with Team Uhvatar, with an invitation from the Uhvatar herself? I'm flattered. I'll wear my best jacket." Tahno gave her a small smirk.

"See you tomorrow night, then!" Korra grinned and turned away, but doubled back. "On one condition."

"Hmm?"

"You have to call me by my real name."

"Oh... '_Avatar_?'"

"'_Korra_,' you stupid pretty boy!" And she was gone.

Tahno chuckled as he closed and bolted the door once more. Now for his shower, and then a trip to the store to search for the improbable remedy for his bites.

"Well, _that_ was easy."

* * *

_Hopefully it will take a little less than two and a half months for me to write the next chapter?_

_Tell me what you thought! Loved it, hated it, have any recommendations or critiques?_

_And, Tahnorra sex = later._


	3. Chapter 3

_Updating primarily because I feel really, really bad for the one awesome reviewer who once said he/she would check every day for an update, as I've realized that I haven't updated in over a month._

**_The Dark Water Calls - Chapter 3_**

_Rated M for future smut_

* * *

A noodle hung loose from Bolin's mouth, unslurped and forgotten, as he stared at the silent waterbender sitting across the table from him. Tahno returned the gaze, swirling his own noodles around with his chopsticks but never bringing them up to his mouth. Korra and Mako were conversing together quietly, with Korra seated next to Bolin and Mako next to her. Asami, sitting next to Tahno, stared out at the restaurant with unfocused eyes, trying to ignore the giggling couple across from her.

Tahno glanced at Korra for a second before focusing on Bolin's ignored noodle. He needed to find a way to drive her and the firebender apart without being obvious about his intentions and loosing what little trust she had in him. He looked at Asami, who was signaling a server to top off her cup with hot tea, as the tea already in the cup had long since turned cold. She had been a Wolfbat groupie, once. She had drifted away to other teams when she had realized that none of the Wolfbats were interested; they couldn't afford to be. While the money of Sato would have been great for the team at various points in its career, neither Tahno, Shaozu, nor Ming were ones to keep any girl around for long. The Wolfbats had never made it a secret about how they discarded girls as quickly as a summer storm passed, but each of them knew that Asami Sato, with her affluent and powerful father, would not be one to easily toss aside without causing trouble. But now exactly that had happened; pretty much all of Republic City knew of how Mako had abandoned Asami in favor of Avatar Korra once Hiroshi and the Sato name had been disgraced. But who could begrudge the Avatar's boyfriend, who had helped save the city from the wicked Amon? Tahno suspected that she wouldn't mind helping in an attempt to create a rift in the Fire Ferret romance.

"Hey, Bolin, you got a little something on your chin," Korra stated, breaking him out of his trance on Tahno. She scooped a hefty amount of noodles into her mouth.

Bolin blinked a few times before slurping the noodle up. "Thanks."

"So, Bolin, how are the Fire Ferrets holding up?" Korra directed a grin and a not-too-subtle wink towards Tahno.

Bolin shrugged. "As you know, right now I'm working with stand-ins. They stink more than pickled sea prunes, but it would be pretty jerkish of me to just kick them off. That's why I'm holding the tryouts in a week and a half – at least they'll have a chance to fight for their positions."

Tahno smirked. "So you're letting them tryout, even though you have no intention of letting them stay on the team, to keep hard feelings to a minimum and to make their rejection from the team seem completely fair? Very clever; I'm impressed."

Bolin frowned a bit. "It is fair, though. They're bad at Pro-bending, we don't work well together, and I want the Fire Ferrets to be the best they can be. Whatever you may think about my bending skills, I'm a pretty good Pro-bender. The gap in skill levels isn't fair and doesn't work. Also, as Captain, flat-out kicking them off the team would be totally fair, just as whoever I select during tryouts will be totally fair. The team not only has to be good, but it has to work well together, and I'm the best judge there is on that when it comes to my team." Bolin gave Tahno a stern look, and the waterbender's smirk diminished slightly. The earthbender rested his chin on the table. "I just don't want to be an ass about it."

Korra patted Bolin on the back a little. "You're as far from an ass as they come, Bolin."

"Honestly, the fact that you're holding open tryouts at all is pretty cool." Tahno set his chopsticks down." It gives people a chance at Pro-bending who, back before the revolutions, at least, otherwise never would have had one. Most players and teams have to weasel their way onto the court with talent-scouts and sponsors." Or sell your soul to your cousin, Tahno mentally added.

"Yeah, I guess that Mako and I were pretty lucky to have Toka find us and never have to deal with most of that. Sponsors were still a pain, though." Bolin nodded.

"You see, Bolin? You're not an ass, as confirmed by the_ king of assholes_, himself." Mako shot a spiteful grin at Tahno, before grimacing. "Ouch!" He glared at Korra, who had apparently kicked him.

"Play nice, Mako! Tahno already apologized for all the shit he pulled." Korra returned Mako's glare.

"Not to _me_, he didn't!" Mako squinted at Tahno.

"I'm not doing it again, Korra." Tahno shrugged and sipped his tea. He should have had the server refill it when he refilled Asami's.

"Korra, he was a jerk to us long before you got here. He nearly gave Hasook a _concussion_ when we skirmished against the Wolfbats during the regular season!"

"Your welcome."

"Not cool, man!" Tahno could almost see veins popping out of Mako's forehead.

"Should I have hit him harder?"

A laugh escaped Bolin's mouth, but was quickly disguised with a cough. "I - ah, I don't miss Hasook." He straightened his back, making his face blank.

Korra smiled, ignoring Mako's accusations against Tahno. "Whatever happened to Hasook, anyway?"

"I'm right here, you _fucking idiots_."

The five youths looked up at the previously unnoticed server standing over them, holding a pot of hot tea. Hasook glared at them as he refilled Tahno's cup, storming away as soon as the cup was full. The group stared after him, watching his back until he disappeared into the kitchen.

"...Has he been working here at Hasook's, every since... _you know_?" Bolin furrowed his brow.

Mako stared toward the kitchen in bewilderment. "I honestly don't know. If he has, he's probably been spitting in our food for months."

"Narook likes to give struggling Pro-benders a hand," Tahno shrugged. "He offered me a job back when I lost my bending, but I turned him down. I know too many people who eat here." He looked down at his steaming tea.

"Are we done here?" Asami spoke up for the first time that night, looking around at everyone's half neglected food. The group nodded and muttered in agreement, each person tossing their appropriate amount of Yuans on the table.

"I'll walk back to your apartment with you, Tahno." Korra's eyes met Tahno's as they walked out of the restaurant. Mako glared at them.

"_Excuse me_? I'm a grown man, Korra. I think I can take care of myself." Tahno breathed in the cool night air. A walk back with the Avatar? He'd make sure to walk slowly.

"A lot of people still aren't happy with you, Tahno. You're a target."

"_You're_ one to talk. I'm sure that quite a few lingering equalists would still _love_ to get their hands on you."

"I'll whistle for Naga to take me back to Air Temple Island. I'd take her with us now, but I know you don't like her."

"We didn't have the best introduction." Tahno shoved his hands into his pockets. Naga never failed to growl in his presence.

Korra laughed and turned to the others. "You guys go on ahead. I'll see you at the island."

With a hesitant and resentful nod from Mako, the others walked off in the direction of Air Temple Island. Korra and Tahno began walking in the opposite direction, toward Tahno's apartment.

"That wasn't _terrible_, now, was it?" Korra smiled up at Tahno, swinging her arms by her sides.

"It wasn't _amazing_, either." Tahno grimaced, remembering the awkward silence that had prevailed for most of the meal.

"True, but you did make Bolin laugh. It's a start." Korra shrugged. "And I expected Mako to be difficult, but you're going to have to try with him. He's very protective of Bolin, and Bolin is very receptive to his opinions."

"I'm trying to join a sports team, not take Bolin on a _date_." Tahno rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Oh, are you interested in Bolin? Because I could put a good word in-" Korra laughed as Tahno gave her a light shove. "You mean you weren't turned on by that noodle that was hanging from his mouth for most of the night?" Korra continued to laugh.

"At least it was more appealing than your noodle slurping, I'll give him that." Tahno grinned as Korra shoved him back.

"I'm sorry! Southern Water Tribe etiquette must seem so _barbaric_ when compared to your Foggy Swamp _manners_!" This time, Tahno laughed along with her.

"Fuck the Swamp."

"But you seemed so happy after you got back from there, yesterday!"

"Any happiness that you perceived stemmed from my relief to be back in civilization."

Korra howled, doubled over in laughter. Tahno smiled. Her laugh was rough, but pleasant to listen to. He found himself enjoying her company more and more as they spent more time together.

Tahno waited for her to recover before they began walking again. "Korra, I want to thank you."

Korra's laughter died down. "Oh? What for?"

"For trying with me."

"What do you mean?" Korra cocked her head to one side, her brow furrowing.

"Mako was right to say that I was an imperial asshole; I hurt you guys on purpose, cheated, and more. No one would be surprised if you shunned me like a plague, but you still acknowledged me in that police station. You had every excuse to treat me like shit for what I did, but instead you've been kind and more or less accepting. You had the chance to completely humiliate me, but chose to be a good person. So, thanks. For not being like _me_, I guess."

Tahno's apartment building came into view.

"Tahno, I - I..." Korra blinked at him, and he looked away. "You've changed, Tahno. You really have. And I'm glad." She smiled again. "Those words mean a lot. I'll remember them."

"Good, because I'm not saying them again."

"Are you _blushing_?"

"No."

Korra was howling again. "Tahno, the Wolfbat King, is blushing because he said a few sincere words!"

"Call your dog, _Uhvatar_ Korra; we're here." They stood at the bottom of the exterior stairs leading up to Tahno's second story apartment.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later, pretty boy."

"At least that hasn't changed about me." Tahno smirked as Korra pushed his shoulder. She brought her fingers to her lips and whistled. It wasn't long before they heard paws against pavement.

"My ride's here!" Korra pulled Tahno into a hug, which he resisted at first before giving in. He hugged her back and then released her, just in time for Naga to appear from the alleyway and snarl at him.

"See you around, Korra." Tahno started up the steps as soon as Korra got onto Naga and disappeared. His skin still tingled from her hug. She had smelled like the sea, and had felt warmer than any of the girls he had previously been with. He smiled to himself. He really did think that he was going to enjoy this.

* * *

_Chapter 4 will have more activity (and more Tahnorra) I PROMISE! _

_Again, sorry that it's been so long!_

_Let me know what you thought! Reviews not only inspire me, but also remind me that I have a fic that needs updating! I also assume that the chapter was pretty shitty when the viewer count goes up and no one reviews. Even if it was shitty, please tell me why! I tend to kill of my characters when no one expresses any interest in them!  
_


	4. Chapter 4

Takes place two-three months (and many chapters and important plot developments) after chapter 3; Korra has fallen for Tahno, and he has unintentionally fallen for her.

Rated T because the smut was boring and I took it out.

* * *

Tahno had left a note for Korra, explaining that Amon was alive and bound to come after her. She had beaten him once; she could do it again - as long as she was ready for him. Even if Tahno had remained beside her, even if he had decided to take on Amon and Eri, he only would have gotten in the way. The Wolfbat in him was long gone, and in its absence he had become a coward.

That was why he was choosing this path, the path on which he would never have to face Eri, or Amon, or Korra ever again. Korra would never have to know that his original intentions were to betray her, and Tahno would never have to witness the pain on her face were she to ever find out.

Tahno's brief relationship with Korra had scared him more than Amon ever had. For the first time, he had found himself caring about someone more than himself. He had hated that feeling as much as he had loved her. After Amon had taken his bending, the world had abandoned him - save her. She had still cared for him, to the point of trying to give him back everything that he had lost. She alone had tried for him, and he had returned the favor by making a deal that would result in her death.

Tahno stood at the edge of the rickety Foggy Swamp bridge, staring down at the dark water beneath it. He wanted Eri to sense him here, to know that this was his choice. She had told him once that he was a cheater by nature; now, he was proving her right by cheating her deal. This was his cowardly slap in her face. Not even her obscure water-bending techniques would be able to revive him from what he planned to do.

He briefly wondered if Korra had searched for him in the three days since he had left her, sleeping in his bed. She was practical, though; she was probably gathering troops in preparation for Amon. Hopefully, she had already told Bolin that the Fire Ferrets were going to need a new waterbender for the championship in two weeks.

Korra had tried to restore a Tahno who hadn't actually wanted to be restored, not really. He had enjoyed his brokenness, in a masochistic and miserable way. It had become the new Tahno, and the restored Tahno that Korra had tried to create was nothing but a stale mixture of his glorious self and his broken self.

Tahno waved his arms, bringing the water beneath him up halfway to the bridge, freezing it into individual, upright icicles. He saw movement in the corner of his eye, and turned his head to look at it?

Korra?

She moved her lips in the shape of his name, her eyes wide with panic as she began to move toward him.

Tahno shook his head and looked away. This was the Swamp; she was probably just an illusion.

As the Korra figure rushed closer to Tahno, he flung himself into the sharp ice that he had formed.

Tahno welcomed the searing pain of the ice ripping through his flesh like an old friend. He watched as his blood ran down the lengths of the icicles, into the brackish water beneath him. He tried to take a breath out of habit, but found himself unable to. One of the ice pieces had pierced his throat. His vision was growing hazy, slowly turning to black around the edges.

A face was suddenly in front of his: Korra's. Or, the Swamp's illusion of her, anyway. He was in her arms; she had melted the ice that he had impaled himself on. Tears streamed down her face; she was screaming something that Tahno couldn't hear. With the last of his energy, he reached up and wiped one of her tears away, bringing his bloody finger to her lips to silence her. He smiled up at her as his arm fell. Then, darkness.

* * *

The. End.

It was going to be longer, with a much different ending, but no one expressed any interest in that. I'll write the in-between chapters and ending for myself and let them sit, in the very slim chances that I will ever want to return to this fic.

AKA: Fic Discontinued

(Thanks, Aynde, for the critique. It was really helpful for my writing, overall, and you made a lot of really awesome points. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that! You're an awesome friend!)

(To the 'confused' anon who reviewed this chapter... author's notes. That's why you were confused. And I'm sorry that Tahno's death was so undramatic.)


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